Administartion brought forward a proposal for a road closure on Road Plan 0910846 as requested by adjacent land owner Bob Grenville.
The portion in question is a pie shaped wedge of land along Range Road 195A, just north of Highway 9 that overlooks West Michichi Creek.
The original road which is now nothing more than slough land is still registered and owned by Starland County. This does not impact any current existing right of way.
In order for the county to sell this particular spot, the road allowance plan must first be closed.
A new road was built to the side to avoid the creek.
Grenville owns the land beside this ‘road’ and has asked to purchase the spot for the potential to sell the land and/or make a property on this location.
Two letters of concern were received from adjacent property owners, one from Troy and Lisa Wolf and another from Kevin Robinson.
In Grenville’s research presented to council, the Wolf’s were concerned with construction taking place downstream from their pasture land but they own the land upstream so they would not be impacted.
As for Mr. Robinson, he indicated a concern about having a permanent dwelling in this location.
Grenville shared that this is not being asked from the proposal but in the event this happens a comprehensive land survey would be done to make sure county requirements are met beforehand.
The only extra requirement he foresaw he would need from council to make a residence there would be to have a lien on the property to allow for sufficient space away from the road allowance but also far enough away from the flood plain.
Council reiterated that building a home would be a separate process which Grenville understood.
“Im hopeful the evidence will highlight the sound rationale to move forward,” said Grenville.
Council agreed to close the road allowance and give notice to concerned parties that this will not impact their properties.
High demand for camping lots
With the camping season beginning fairly soon, Director of Municipal Services Glen Riep advised that the online camping reservations will open up for McLaren Dam on May 1.
He is also looking at possibly adding sites from the other campgrounds as well.
As for the seasonal sites at Michichi, these have become very popular as he has approximately 16 applications for the 12 sites available.
Riep is looking at expanding by adding more sites to accommodate the demand.
He asked if council would consider upping the annual fee for these seasonal sites from $2,000 per site to $2,200 per site.
He felt the increase would reflect what is accepted as an average price in the area.
Other campsite prices are sufficient for now.
Council passed a motion to increase the rate.
“There’s clearly a demand,” said Reeve Wannstrom.
Riep also mentioned there is interest from Rogers Communication to build a cell phone tower at the Morrin Bridge boat launch.
In order for this to potentially happen, the county needs to check to determine if this area the company suggested is owned by the county itself or the province.
If they own it, they can grant authorization which council agreed was a benefit as the river valley including the campground has less-than-satisfactory to non-existent service.
CAO report
Although Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Shirley Bremer was not present at the latest meeting, council reviewed her report and found a few items of note.
Bremer noted administration is now close to completing the new online fire permit on the county website.
Legislative Services Director Jason Carlson walked council through how the website would look and function.
There were a few suggestions given which will be incorporated before the website function will be promoted.
Reeve Steve Wannstrom, who also acts as Munson fire chief, shared he has received 25 calls regarding controlled burns since January to the end of February, saying many people have been good about notifying him when they light up.
Council still wishes to have people also fill out a burn permit as this automated system will alert the proper chiefs for their area and ensure all permit parameters are understood.
Also in CAO Bremer’s report, an update was given on the Rumsey property that was advertised for a tax sale.
“We are in the process of registering a notification of municipal acquisition for this property, as per Section 424 of the MGA.
“Our crews have also secured the property to limit entrance into the most hazardous areas, as well as locked up the sea-can. When it warms up a bit, our crews will proceed with clearing the debris and preparing it for demolition in the future,” she stated in the report.
Terri Huxley
ECA Review
